The Brit Awards are handed out by the Phonographic Industry for Musical Excellence – these are the equivalent of the Grammy Awards in Britain.

Historical Background:

They were first awarded in 1977 – the ceremony was a part of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration. It became an annual event as of 1982 and the British recording industry played a major role. The telecast of this event was done sporadically and eventually in 2007, the Awards were live broadcasted.

Artists:

Some of the Artists who have won during this ceremony are the Beatles, Queen, Adam and the Ants, John Lennon, Barbara Streisand, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Sade, The Police, Eurythmics, Elton John, Phil Collins and many others. Some of the more recent winners are Robbie Williams and Adele.

Categories:

Awards are handed out in categories like Best solo artist – male and female, breakthrough artist, British group, hit single, album of the year and many others. Some of the winners this year are Ben Howard, Emeli Sande, Mumford and Sons, Adele for Skyfall.